Taineisha’s Story

Until I graduated college, I gave little regard to exercise or eating a balanced diet. I am embarrassed to say that I did not eat any vegetables regularly until I was 20 years old, and I had an on again off again relationship with the gym. During medical school and residency, my habits worsened. I lived off hospital food, little sleep, and no exercise. After the birth of my daughter in 2009, I got to my heaviest non-pregnant weight, and finally had enough. I had reached a point where my BMI was 32, which put me into the obese range. But more than that, because of my poor self care, I was not only obese, but tired and unhappy as well. I committed to trying to be a better me. I began by getting into running and making occasional undirected gym trips. Then, one day in 2013 I ran into Chan and was encouraged to come to her Bootcamp class. I attended regularly for a while, but after training for a marathon, some of my bad habits resurfaced, my muscles got a little softer, and the number on the scale started creeping back up.

By the end of 2014, I was ready to take back control of things, and I reached out to Chan about training. She asked me about my goals, and what my challenges had been in the past, and we moved forward from there. She is supportive but firm. If you have excuses, may as well save them. What I value most is that Chan will not allow me to shrink from challenges she knows I am able to meet. If I can run faster, lift heavier, or do more reps, she will not stop until I do. Her passion is palpable, and her desire to be the best trainer drives me to want to be the best client- not for her, but for myself. Over the past 4 months, I’ve gotten leaner, stronger, and faster. More than that, I’m happier with who I am. I’m putting in the work, as Chan told me earlier this summer, but having an amazing trainer has made all the difference!